THE TEAM
Firstly, let us introduce the team-members. Warren, our trip organiser/leader has climbed Mont Blanc once before 10 years ago and has wanted to have another attempt ever since! Gary has twice before attempted to get to the summit, but hasn't been able to due to bad weather and unstable snow. Hopefully third time lucky Gary! James is the youngest and most inexperienced of the three, but has climbed Snowdon several times.THE CHARITY
Now about the charity we are raising money for. We would like to use this event as an opportunity to raise money for a charity that is personal to one of our team-members James. Reach is a UK charity that was set up by the families of children with hand or arm deficiencies. This includes children born with missing parts of their upper limbs or children who have lost upper limbs due to traumatic incidents. Reach have been very supportive to James over the years and continue to do so with so many other young children.Reach provide local branches where families can go for advice and support. Reach also run several events over the year which include an outdoor activity week. James has been an adult helper on the activity week twice before and will be volunteering again this year. The activity week offers older Reach members the chance to support younger members and coach life skills to tackle the difficulties that the children will face in life. The Reach website is reach.org.uk.
THE CHALLENGEWe are setting out to climb Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe, with a summit of 15,781ft. It is the 11th most prominent peak in the world. The summit lies on the French-Italian border. The ascent will take 2 days and the descent 1 day. We are leaving the UK on the 5th July and returning on 17th July. Training for this summit attempt has included trips to Helvellyn (Lake District) and Tryfan/Snowdon (Snowdonia).
James’s BitThose of you who know me well, will know that I've always been up for any type of physically enduring challenge! In the past, to name but a few, I have walked 50 miles in 24 hours raising £400 for Children In Need. This time I’m setting out on a challenge that involves less mileage but a lot more altitude! Reach were very supportive to my parents when I was born and helped them overcome the obvious initial shock and worries regarding my future. Any sponsorship would be greatly appreciated :-D
The Just-Giving Bit!Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Reach gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
Check out the video on the left of the views from the top....You don't need to speak french to enjoy it!UPDATE...
Hello everyone, As im sitting at my Dad's laptop at half midnight after an evening shift at work, I thought it's about time I actually put something up on this page regarding how we got on up MB!
Well, we got about 95% to the top....We got to the summit ridge, before having to turn back due to poor weather conditions (the worst visibility i've ever seen, and I fly through clouds everyday!) and howling winds, we had to make the hard decision to turn back. It was too dangerous to carry on. We were all obviously very gutted, but thoroughly enjoyed the trip!Thank you all so much for your donations, your money will make a difference to the Reach charity. Maybe we'll try again next year or in 5 years time... :-)
